The holiday season for many is a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness, but it's also a time when our environmental footprint tends to increase. As we celebrate together, it’s important to consider our environmental impact and take steps to reduce it.

In the US, the largest category of waste in landfills is food, with household garbage increasing by 25% during the holidays. This week, many families in the US will be gathering at the dinner table to celebrate everything they are thankful for. Each year, American families waste an estimated 305 million pounds of food from just Thanksgiving dinner. When we waste food, we also waste the energy, land, labor, and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package the food. As you plan for your upcoming holiday gatherings, consider how you can take steps, both small and large, to reduce your impact.

When planning your celebration, make sure to seriously consider the number of guests attending to avoid over-preparing. While shopping, resist the urge to buy that "emergency" pie, snack, etc. and only purchase what you know you can use. Also, be sure to discuss and coordinate dishes with your guests in advance to avoid repeat or extra dishes. If you’re not sure how much food you need for the number of guests you are expecting, you could try Save the Food’s Guest-imator Tool at www.savethefood.com/guestimator.

Other great ways to reduce your gathering’s footprint is to search for locally-sourced ingredient options, choose reusable serving options, and ask guests to bring reusable containers for leftovers. When cleaning up, remember to ask guests what they enjoyed eating, rather than loading them up with a little bit of everything, so you can avoid those leftovers reaching someone else’s trash.

Check out our Pinterest for some great recipes to use-up leftover ingredients and consider donating boxed, canned, and bagged foods to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Every little bit you do to reduce food waste helps!

The end of November is a popular time to start decorating for the upcoming winter holidays. If you’re planning to decorate with real greenery, like fresh-cut trees, wreaths, garlands, etc., consider purchasing from local small businesses at Crofton Southbound Produce (right across the street from The Beacon), the Crofton Farmers Market, Y Worry Farm, & Bowie Farmer’s Market.

Approximately 40 million holiday trees are sold in the US each year. Recycled trees, wreaths, and garlands can be used for mulch, soil erosion barriers, and other environmentally-friendly uses! In fact, Anne Arundel County recycles trees and greenery at three recycling centers, one of which is only 10 mins from The Beacon:

Central Recycling Center
389 Burns Crossing Road, Severn, MD 21144
Monday – Friday, 8:00AM – 4:00PM

Don’t forget to also recycle these items this holiday season!: wrapping paper, tissue paper, greeting cards, catalogs/magazines, shipping/gift boxes, and newspapers. Additionally, wrapping paper can be reused as tissue paper for bagged presents, used in crafts, shredded into confetti for a New Year’s party, or used as packing material to keep fragile decorations safe.

This holiday season, let the spirit of sustainability guide your choices as you celebrate. Small changes in your habits and traditions can have a significant positive impact. May your holidays be both merry and green!

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